New Zealand athlete ‘kidnapped’ in Rio ahead of Olympics

Incident is the latest to raise worries over security in the city

RIO DE JANEIRO: A New Zealand athlete living in Rio de Janeiro has accused armed police of briefly kidnapping him and forcing him to go to an ATM machine to withdraw money.

The incident, which 27-year-old Jason Lee says took place on Saturday, was the latest to raise worries over security in Rio during the Olympic Games starting August 5.

What did you guys get up to yesterday?
I got kidnapped. Go Olympics!#Rio2016

— J L (@jasonleejitsu) July 24, 2016

According to Lee, who is studying Brazilian ju-jitsu in the city, he was returning from a local tournament in a rental car when he was stopped by two men in police uniforms riding motorbikes. They allegedly demanded 2,000 reais ($608) as a fine, saying his documents were not in order.

Lee told the New Zealand news site stuff.co.nz that when he explained he did not have that much money, the apparent police then escorted him to a police post and made him to get into an unmarked car to drive with one of them to an ATM.

According to the athlete, when he went to report the incident at a police station later, he was told by an officer there “even we are afraid” of the officers who allegedly carried out the assault.



On Monday, the police department dedicated to dealing with tourist matters issued a statement confirming that Lee had made the complaint about a “stop supposedly by the military police”.

“An inquiry is being carried out to investigate the crime,” the statement said.

Some 85,000 police and soldiers are being deployed for the Olympics, double the number used in the 2012 London Games, as the authorities try to put a lid on rampant street crime in Rio.